Not Easily Forgotten
by K.Sinclair
Summary: Mysterious happenings, gruesome deaths, and a town with a dark history. Fall River is no place for outsiders, especially those with "special abilities". So what will happen when Sam and Dean Winchester come investigating? [Early days for the Winchesters, b/c Ioved the monster elements in season 1]
1. Chapter 1

**Fall River, Massachusetts**

Dark clouds rumbled in the distance as the Mercer family moved furniture into their new home. It was an old house, probably built in the 1800s, with a fresh coat of white on the wood siding. The light blue shutters, dulled by the thick cloud cover, gave it an almost innocent face. Frank Mercer had been apprehensive at first to move to such a small town, but he'd needed the money from his new job. Frank surveyed the house with a hopeful heart, he saw his wife in the kitchen tinkering with silverware and glanced up to see his son pasting a rock n' roll poster on his closet door. The thunder rumbled louder, signaling the arrival of the storm. Frank gazed around the yard to be sure everything had been put into the house, the moving van honked once to confirm they were leaving. Frank waved and began to walk back the house as the first crystal cold droplet fell onto his shoulder. The heavens opened and chilling rain began to patter lightly on him, he ran to the door and pushed it open with a creak. It was truly a dreary day.

**Ten Miles from Fall River**

The sheriff walked over to the tree clearing where the two deputies were kneeling.

"What do we have here, gentlemen?" he said bending to get a better look at the victim.

"Female, Caucasian, and possibly 5'5 feet," one of the deputies said holding a clipboard.

"She was found this morning by a couple of bird watchers, it appears that something dumped her here," the other stated flipping through a notebook.

The sheriff looked incredulously at the two men, "Possibly 5'5 feet? 'Something' dumped her?"

"Well…yes, sir. You see, the victim's head hasn't been found yet and her body's been hacked at with a semi-blunt object. Also, we say 'something' because there are slash marks found on trees near the resting place of the body," one said uneasily glancing at the other for support.

"Let me see her," the sheriff sighed pushing past the two men.

He stopped dead at the sight of the mutilated body. It was the worst case of body mutilation he'd ever seen.

"Dear God, who could have done this?" the sheriff gasped taking a step back.

The Massachusetts Border

A young man with short brown hair and sharp blue eyes stood leaning against a black car. He had been thumbing through the Massachusetts newspaper when a particular story made him stop:

"_Local Woman Found Dead"_

_An unidentified woman was found viciously mutilated in the forest near the town of Fall River. Police, at this moment, have not released cause of death or any suspects. More details as this gruesome story unfolds._

Sighing, he closed the newspaper and gave his dark leather jacket a sharp tug. Leaning into the black car, he jabbed the other occupant roughly.

"Hey, Sammy. Wake up. I found us another job."


	2. Chapter 2

Children's voices sang a haunting rhyme:

"_Lizzie Borden had an axe_

_Gave her mother forty whacks,_

_When she realized what she'd done_

_Gave her father forty-one…"_

They repeated it, over and over. Then, out of the dark came a figure of a boy, barely a teenager. He was pale, dirty, and had traces of dried blood smeared all over his body. His eyes were pure black, as if they could see into the soul. One could tell he had been crying, but instead of pity he held his grubby hand out. Possibly a gesture of acknowledgement? No, the teen was motioning to something just out of view.

The boy no longer stood at ease; instead he began to scream a scream reserved only for nightmares. Something was coming at him, it moved so fast only the flash of silver was seen. As the darkness came, the teenage boy threw out his hands as a gesture of futile hope and screamed,

"Save Us!"

**Fall River**

Sam snapped awake, banging his head against the car door frame.

"Having issues getting out of the car, Sammy?" Dean said, peering through the windshield.

"Wha…ah, never mind. Where exactly are we, Dean?" Sam groaned, massaging his temple.

"Welcome to the beautiful town of Fall River. Where they apparently don't have a single bar within a ten mile radius," Dean sighed sarcastically.

"You…you're hopeless. You know that?" Sam said, getting out of the car slowly.

Dean grinned mischievously and turned to walk toward the motel, or the "home away from home". Sam couldn't stop thinking about the boy he'd seen. Was he a ghost? A victim? Or just some poor guy that had gotten in the way of something 'Supernatural'? Either way, it had to be a connection to the recent mutilation of the woman found in the forest area just outside Fall River.

"Alright, Sammy. Spill it; you had one of those dream slash vision things. What'd you see?" Dean said after Sam had dumped his things onto his bed.

"It was weird. I mean, it started out kind of…you know, innocent," Sam explained.

"Innocent? Sammy, face it. Your dreams don't exactly scream 'sunshine and daisies'," Dean muttered lifting an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know. But, this one started out with kids sort of saying this weird rhyme and then I saw this apparition of a teenage boy. I mean, I know this is going to sound odd, but something was stalking him. He was asking me for help just as something silver, and I'm assuming sharp, hit him," Sam said running his fingers through his dark hair.

"Sam, breathe. You're starting to babble and some of us just drove about six straight hours. Anyhow, did you see what was stalking the boy? Or is he just afraid of shiny objects?" Dean snorted as he flopped down on his own bed.

"I never got a good look at it. It moved faster than a normal spirit usually does, but one thing bothers me, Dean," Sam said sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Oh? And what's that?" Dean muttered dragging a hand over his tired eyes.

"I don't think the boy's dead yet," Sam said softly.

"What? Not dead? What makes you say that?" Dean grunted propping his head up to look at Sam.

"Dean, he said 'Save Us'. All I saw was him, I mean, who else could he be talking about?" Sam stated.

"Well, heck if I know. But, one thing's for sure," Dean said, a grin forming on his mouth.

"What's that?" Sam asked, confused.

"Things just got more interesting," Dean chuckled, lying back down on the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Fall River**

The sun was sparkling brightly in the light blue sky as Emily Mercer stood looking fondly at her quaint little rose garden. Her husband, Frank Mercer, had suggested she try and salvage the already dying rose bushes. Emily got to her knees and began to hack at the decaying undergrowth that surrounded the fragile roses. The familiar odor of earth and sweet roses filled the air around her however; she noticed a peculiar scent coming from the scarlet roses in the back of the garden. Emily leaned more into the petite garden to investigate this smell, now becoming unbearably rancid. Taking her gardening scissors, she began to hack at the choking grass. Emily, becoming more frustrated at the resistance she was receiving from the grass, moved in a little more; this caused her to lose her balance and fall face forward into the dirt. Spitting out dirt, Emily became aware that the choking grass had finally snapped revealing a gruesome sight. She was eye to eye with a mangled head, the mouth gaping in an eternal shriek.

Emily let out a shrill scream and tried to get away from the chilling sight. It was at that moment her son, Anthony, came out to investigate the cause of the scream.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Anthony said anxiously.

"Anthony, stay back…I don't want you to see this!" Emily shouted urgently.

Anthony, ignoring his mother, gave in the strong urge to see the mysterious "thing" his mother was screaming about.

"Aw mom, what could be so bad?" He said reaching out towards the jagged mass of chopped grass.

"Anthony, no!" Emily yelled leaning to grab her son's leg.

It was too late; Anthony was already peering into the opening.

"Whoa, this is too cool! Hey mom, is this real?" He said poking at the decaying flesh.

"Anthony, stop doing that! Come with me while I call the police! Now, Anthony!" Emily ordered tugging him towards the house.

Anthony moved sluggishly along with her, he felt funny. It was almost like he wasn't all there and with a snap of the head he was normal. He shook it off, taking it as nothing.

_Sam was in a dark room that smelled of dank copper. He rubbed his hand along the wall searching for a light switch, but was met with a sticky substance that coated his fingers thickly. His foot connected with something metallic and long. Sam bent, feeling around for the object. There was more of the sticky liquid on the floor; Sam became more aware that he was coated in the sticky liquid as well. He felt the object and grasped it firmly._

_A light from somewhere began to flicker. Sam stood, turning to look at the wall he had just come into contact with. It was covered in blood. Sam gasped and backed away, bumping into something. He turned and nearly vomited, the wall was covered with severed heads dripping with blood. Sam heard a clank to his left and was met with his reflection, head to toe he was covered with the crimson blood. In his hand, the object he had kicked was an axe also covered in blood._

_He looked like a monster._

"_Oh god, somebody wake me up from this nightmare." Sam gasped, letting the axe fall to the ground with a resounding clang._


	4. Chapter 4

**Fall River Motel (nighttime)**

_So much blood…_

"Hey, Sammy. You okay?" Dean groaned from his bed.

_So…much…_

"Sam? Shit man, wake up!" Dean muttered stretching his arm out to prod his brother.

_Blood…?_

Sam's eyes opened slowly, they had a sort of glaze over them as he cast a blind glance in Dean's direction. Dean used his arm to prop himself up and get a better look at his younger brother.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Dean said now fully alert.

Sam reached for the covers and yanked them off gently. He placed his feet on the semi-clean, dark carpet and stood. Dean surveyed his brother cautiously and began to slowly reach under his pillow where he kept his knife, just in case. Sam smiled and walked to the bathroom in a zombie-like state.

"Sam…what…?" Dean whispered urgently, letting his grasp on the weapon loosen.

Sam turned briefly in Dean's direction, flashed a grin, and proceeded into the bathroom closing the door behind him. Dean leaped out of his own bed and moved towards the bathroom carefully. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but he planned to make Sammy talk or just say anything in general.

"Sam, open the door or I'll break it down," Dean said rapping on the wood door.

Dean put his ear to the door and listened for any response. Instead, he was met with a bloodcurdling scream.

"Sammy! Shit!" Dean said slamming into the flimsy wood door, breaking it open.

Sam was on the ground crying and holding his face; he couldn't bear to look at Dean.

**Fall River Motel (morning)**

Dean rubbed his eyes, taking in the horrific tale Sam had just told him. It was worse than any dream-vision his brother ever had. God, this can't be just any malevolent spirit, it has to be something stronger and more efficient at killing people. Dean's mind turned to the newspaper article he'd read about the mutilated decapitation victim. Sam had said there was a whole wall of severed heads dripping wet with blood. But what did this mean? Dean let out a weary sigh.

Sam had been searching Dean's face for any sign of emotion. Dean had said he'd been unresponsive moments before he started screaming, Sam just couldn't shake the image of all the blood…it had been everywhere.

"Dean? Would you say something, so I don't feel like you think I'm a total head case?" Sam said leaning forward slightly.

"Ha, that's a good one 'cause everyone knows you got dropped on your head a few times," Dean chuckled to himself.

"Dean, I'm serious," Sam said severely.

"Alright, alright. Your dream reminds me of that article I read about the woman who got her head chopped off awhile back. So, I figure it uses that handy little axe you said you were holding and well, you know, it kills them and takes the head as a trophy," Dean said running his fingers through his brown hair.

Sam sensed Dean had more to say, but being his usual stubborn self, wouldn't say it without being asked.

"Okay, fine. I'll…um, go and see what the internet has to say and you finger through some books. Alright, Dean?" Sam said gently, hoping his brother would open up a little more.

"Hm? Uh yeah, sure," Dean said getting up quickly.

Dean cast a glance at Sam, who was turning on the laptop. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen, but if it did he would stop it or die trying.


	5. Chapter 5

**Fall River - **_**(cafe)**_

Sam took a sip of steaming coffee, he had been surfing the Internet for any leads on the mutilated victim. So far he'd come up short, sighing he tapped the mouse to scroll down the page and came up with a curious web link. It had the name of "Mutilations and More"; Sam raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

'_Mutilations and More? Terrible name, but it's the best so far…'_ Sam pondered before clicking the link.

Sam put the coffee cup onto the table as the homepage opened up. He scrolled down a little, this time wincing at the irony of the webpage, and then discovered the article Dean had told him about. Only, this article had more gruesome information on the victim. Sam leaned a little closer and read:

_Local Woman Discovered_

_The body of a local woman was discovered mutilated and headless late last week; with no leads it appeared to be a cold case. That is, until a head was discovered in a family's rose garden. This head has been identified as the missing part of the mutilated woman, who has now been identified as Melinda Warren, age 23._

_Further digging has also revealed that 23-year-old Melinda had been planning to move and had already sold her house to the same family who found her head. Neighbors say she kept to herself and would never hurt a soul. Unfortunately, she was also the town 'freak' to put it crudely; this may in fact be the reason for her intended moving plans._

_To this moment, police still have no leads and no suspects. If anyone has any information, please call 1-800-HEADLESS._

Sam leaned back against the chair, pondering the article. The head had been found in a rose garden? The town 'Freak'? Sam began to massage his weary eyes, totally unaware Dean had crept up behind him.

"Hey Sammy, anything good or are you just lazing around?" Dean said with a grin, slapping Sam on the back.

"Jesus, Dean! You scared the crap out of me!" Sam gasped.

"Hey, it's what I'm here for," Dean laughed.

"Anyway, I found something out about the mutilated woman," Sam stated, sliding the laptop towards Dean.

Dean leaned forward and skimmed the page quickly.

"Well? Don't you think that's odd how this person knew all that stuff?" Sam inquired.

"Ha, 1-800-HEADLESS, priceless," Dean chuckled after pushing the computer back to Sam.

Sam rolled his eyes and shut the computer. Dean got up and grabbed Sam's coffee.

"Hey, that's mine. Get your own, jerk," Sam said indignantly.

"Shut up bitch, I'm driving. I need all the caffeine I can get and besides, if you keep drinking this it'll stunt your growth," Dean said smiling wickedly.

"Yeah, I'd hate to get any shorter," Sam said standing up to tower over Dean.

"Well, let's go talk to the people who found the head, ok?" Dean grumbled, walking towards the café door.

"Wait, I'm coming," Sam said, scrambling to gather his computer.

Dean stood by the door to let a woman and her small daughter in, grinning he waved at Sam.

"Oh, and Sam? Stop looking at those porno sites" Dean laughed as he walked out the door.

Sam followed him, blushing furiously, and earning a reproving glare from the woman as he exited the café. Sam opened the passenger side door, put his computer in the back seat, and punched Dean, now laughing, in the shoulder.

"I hate you so much," Sam said with a sarcastic grin.

"Yeah, I know you do," Dean said grinning innocently at his younger brother.

With that said, Dean turned the ignition and proceeded to drive the black Impala down the gloomy fog lined road, never really being aware that they were being watched the whole time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Fall River (forest)**

They had been driving for what seemed hours before the rattling noise became more defined. Sam glanced at Dean, hoping he'd have an answer to the peculiar rattling noise. Dean was lightly tapping the dashboard, murmuring soft words of encouragement to the car.

"Dean it's a car, nothing you say to it is going to make the noise go away," Sam whispered, grinning.

"Don't worry babe, Sam's just a lonely old guy who looks at porn in his spare time. He doesn't understand you at all," Dean muttered, ignoring Sam's remark.

"God, you're never going to let the whole 'porn' thing go. You know, I think that woman just about kicked me in the soft spot because you said that," Sam said, blushing slightly at the memory.

"Yeah, but it was funny. It was payback for insinuating I was short, end of story. Dammit, what the hell's wrong with this thing?" Dean mumbled darkly, starting to slam his hand on the dashboard to rid the rattling noise.

Sam shook his head and turned to look at the dim foggy road. He squinted at the road ahead and with a sharp realization noticed a person standing in the center of the road.

"Dean! Watch out!" Sam shouted, grabbing onto the seat of the car

"What? Watch out for what!?" Dean yelled at Sam.

"Dean! Move the car!" Sam hollered, reaching out and jerking the wheel slightly.

"Sam! Don't…!" Dean screamed, stomping on the breaks.

The car came to a skidding halt, the smell of burnt rubber strong in the air. Sam jumped out of the car and ran to see if they'd impacted the person. However, there was nobody there. Dean got out of the car and slammed the door hard.

"Sam, what in the world was that about!? I swear, if my car's damaged I'll kill you," Dean seethed, walking around the car twice.

"Dean I'm telling you, I saw somebody out in the road," Sam said, turning to face the forest.

"Yeah? Well, um, forgive me if I don't see the son of a bitch you say I was allegedly about to nail with my car!" Dean said firmly, running his hand through his dark hair in frustration.

Sam squinted his eyes to see farther up the foggy road. He'd been so sure that there had been somebody in the road, but had he been wrong? Sam couldn't shake the feeling that something was trying to hold them back; preventing them from going the house where the new family lived. Sighing Sam started to turn away from the foggy stretch of road, but he caught sight of something walking towards him at a fast pace.

"Dean, tell me you see that," Sam yelled behind him at his brother.

"What the hell?" Dean said, putting a hand on the car door to look.

The figure wasn't just moving fast, it was running now…straight at Sam.

"Sammy, get in the car now!" Dean shouted, now in the car and vainly trying to start the rattling engine.

Sam never got the chance; it was in front of him before he could react. It was a shadowy figure, with no defining physical appearance. Slowly, Sam tried to take a step back, but the figure reached out and touched his face. It was a cool moist feeling, but Sam felt like the air was being sucked out of him. He crumbled to the ground, with his vision fading the last thing he saw was his brother beating against the door frame trying to get out and help his little brother. Darkness overcame Sam with nauseating force, causing him to go limp on the ground.

Dean saw his brother go down, the door had all of the sudden jammed stopping his attempt to rescue his brother. The shadowy figure, seeing Sam was unconscious, looked up at the frantic older brother. Dark fog engulfed Sam and with the help of an unknown gust of wind they both were gone. Dean's knuckles were bleeding from beating the car, but he didn't care. His brother was gone and nothing was going to stop him from getting Sam back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Fall River (forest)**

Dean slammed his hands down in fury. Nobody took his brother and expected him to take it lying down. Nobody. He cranked the ignition, muttering dark curses as the engine rattled exhaustedly. There was no way it would start; no amount of coaxing would bring it to life. Sighing, Dean closed his eyes before opening the car door. He walked around to the back and opened the trunk where all the weapons were hidden. Grabbing a leather bag, Dean shoved a gun, holy water, and extra salt. He heaved the tired Impala to the side of the road and began to jog up the foggy road at a quick pace. Dean glanced back at his car with a groan. _'I'll come back for you babe.'_

**Fall River (Mercer House)**

Dean bent over to catch his breath; two miles seemed a whole lot closer when you had a car. Straightening, he noticed a police car in the driveway of the Mercer house. Dean walked up to the doorway and knocked sharply. A woman answered it; she had red rimmed eyes from crying recently.

"Mrs. Mercer?" Dean asked, switching into a police-like tone of voice.

"Yes? What is it?" she said, sadness resonating in her voice.

"I work with the local police in order to find any small thing that may be crucial to the investigation. Could you start by telling me the history of the house and anything leading up to the current situation?" Dean said, hoping she wouldn't ask why he needed to know such things.

"Um, alright. Please, come in," she said, without suspicion.

"We bought this house from a woman named Melinda Warren; she had told us that it was a 'historical artifact'," she started saying to Dean.

"Oh? What'd she mean by historical artifact?" Dean said, as they ventured into the quaint kitchen.

"She told us this place used to be owned the Borden family. That it was the same house where Lizzie Borden allegedly killed her parents. We didn't think it was that important, so we didn't press anymore into the history of the house itself," she said, leaning on kitchen counter.

"We moved in a week ago before I discovered the head in the rose garden. My son, Anthony, saw it and thought it was cool. I didn't think it affected him too much, but…," she said, breaking off lightly.

"But what?" Dean pressed gently.

"He started to become more reclusive. He also started drawing pictures and scribbling odd phrases, he seemed obsessed about this one individual. Once, I heard Anthony shout the word 'Freak' at a picture of the person he was constantly researching. I was about to take him to therapy, but last night he never came home from the library," she sobbed, bending her head down.

"Did you ever see any of the pictures Anthony had of this individual?" Dean said, reaching to hand her a napkin from the table to dab her eyes.

"Um yes, I managed to grab one. Let me get it for you," she said quietly, ushering him to the door to wait for her while she got it.

Dean vaguely remembered the Lizzie Borden tale, it was gruesome and no one had been able to prove she'd done it. The murder weapon had been an axe, it was used to mutilate and chop up her parents. She had been taken to trial and proven 'not guilty'. Although, it had been rumored that she never left the house where the murders took place. It seemed Ol' Lizzie was up to her tricks again. _'And this family is the unlucky victims'_, Dean thought as Mrs. Mercer returned to the doorway.

"Here's the picture, please use it to find my son," she tearfully said handing it to Dean.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'll use this in our investigation," Dean said, pocketing the picture briefly.

Mrs. Mercer sadly smiled as Dean exited the house. Dean hated lying to a grieving mother, but he had to find Sam. He started back in the direction where his beloved car was waiting. Dean reached into his pocket and opened the crumpled photograph. Upon seeing the image Dean froze.

It was a photograph of Sam...with the word **'Freak'** scrawled in red over the top.


	8. Chapter 8

**Somewhere in Fall River**

Sam's head was throbbing; it felt like he'd been hit by a truck going 200 mph. He could feel the rope cutting into his wrists and legs. Sam was aware of a sharp clinking noise approaching to his right. He let out a low moan of agony as the noise drew to a halt.

"Wake up freak, time to say good bye to your pathetic excuse of a life," a distorted voice said emotionlessly.

Sam had no energy to move, but this didn't seem to bother the unknown person. A loud crack erupted in the air as wood hit skull, sending Sam and his chair crashing to the cement floor. Sam's face was now laying on the cool cement floor, moving sent waves of pain washing over him. However, he managed to blearily open his eyes to see a pair of dirty Nike sneakers standing in front of him. Sam wrinkled his forehead in confusion, tilting his head slightly he was met with the face of his assailant: a teenage boy.

"Wha…? Who…who are you?" Sam mumbled through his bruised and numb lips.

The boy didn't answer at first, he just stood there grinning. Then bringing the axe to rest next to Sam's face, the boy leaned in closer to reveal ink black eyes.

"This boy's name is Anthony. When the idiotic boy touched the head of my last victim I was able to possess him. Never even knew what happened," Anthony smirked maliciously.

"But, I saw you…you said 'Save Us'. I thought it was that shadow…," Sam started to say through thick lips.

"Ah, you liked that? I figured you'd fall for that just like poor, poor Melinda. She thought I was in trouble too, but nonetheless she soon found out how the tables turned on her. She was a freak like you Sam; she was a psychic and a damn good one, too. I just had to kill her or she'd have found out eventually," Anthony said, cutting Sam off mid-sentence.

"As for the shadow person, I'm surprised you never realized who it was, Sam. Oh well, you freaks aren't too smart, so I'll tell you in words you can understand. That shadow person was dear old Lizzie trying to protect you; needless to say she failed miserably," the demonic Anthony laughed.

"No…," Sam gasped, blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

"Oh yes, Sam. You see, she felt so guilty about what happened to her parents that she decided to come back and make up for her crime. It's just a shame your brother won't be here to see his freakish little brother die," Anthony stated, pulling Sam and his chair upright again.

Sam slumped forward in agony, he hated feeling so vulnerable. A dark fury for this specter was building in his chest, threatening to burst into a full violent torrent. However, Anthony wasn't done with him yet. Anthony seemed to enjoy toying with his captured victim. He leaned forward again and smacked Sam with the wood handle. Sam began hacking up blood, spitting it onto the ground. Anthony proceeded to grab Sam's shirt, coming in close, Sam could see that the gloves were off. This specter was done playing.

"Poor, poor Sam. Nobody loves you, it would just be best if you died and got out of their way. You have no idea the pain you cause your brother, always having to watch out for his pain-in-the-ass brother," Anthony hissed into Sam's ear.

"Face it Sam, things are better if you go. Plus, I'll even send Dean your head so he can have his little Sammy with him always," Anthony murmured, backing up slightly.

Tears of fury and loss dripped down Sam's cheeks as the specter raised the sharp axe over his head. The light that had been filtering into the room began to flicker, like it was burning out. Sam gazed in defiance at the sharp blade while it glinted like a spark as the sputtering light failed, plunging the room into a dark gloom.


	9. Chapter 9

**Fall River (motel)**

Dean slammed the door to his car in fury, angry that he had no leads on the whereabouts of his little brother. He turned and began stomping up the rickety stairs of the one-star motel. _'If I wasn't a mature and good-looking individual, I think I would've had a tantrum by now'_ Dean bitterly thought to himself. Dean came to the moldy, peeling door of his room already thinking of possible places he could look or people he could harass for information. Plucking the key out of his pocket, Dean opened the crumbling door still muttering to himself thoughtfully.

Dean froze as soon as he set one foot in the dark room. There, standing by the bed, was the very thing that had taken Sam. The shadow person stood watching Dean for a reaction. Dean shifted to the flimsy desk where he kept his silver knife; he wasn't going to let this thing get out easily. Moving was Dean's first error for he had taken his eyes off the shadowy figure. All of the sudden he felt a cold hand grab his wrist, jerking him around to face the shadow person again.

"Dean…help him…," the shadow figure whispered gently.

"What the hell? What're you…" Dean sputtered, as he was engulfed in a dark cloud.

**Abandoned House (middle of Fall River Woods)**

The final flash of the light had been Sam's saving grace. While it was true that the specter had possessed Anthony, but it also meant the spirit couldn't see very well in the dark. Sam grunted, trying to maneuver painstakingly to the right in order to avoid the fury of a sharp blade. He heard Anthony curse and the thunk of the metal blade hitting the cement floor.

"Well, well. Looks like you got a freebie freak, but it doesn't matter I know where you are. Tick-tock Sammy, you can move all you want, but in the end you'll go down just like Melinda," Anthony said in a calm voice.

Sam chose not to respond for fear it would give his location away. He furrowed his eyebrows in a disbelieving way as he continued to scoot the creaking chair to where he thought the exit was located. _'It makes no sense just playing with me. The specter killed Melinda without pausing.'_ Sam thought wildly. He could hear Anthony's breathing as the dark spirit approached from behind, Sam's chair had caught on something and would no longer shift. Sam muttered a silent curse, bending his head in despair. _'Dean's not going to find me in time. Oh god, I can't die like this! Dammit, even if I die in the process I'm going to exorcise that damn specter!'_ Sam thought angrily.

All the sudden a large crack resounded through the small room, it was followed by a muffled voice.

"Damn shadow bitch threw me in a nasty-ass room that has not been cleaned since the freaking Stone Age! When I get my hands on her…," a familiar voiced barked out loud.

Sam's heart swelled with brief relief at the familiar voice that belonged to his brother. However, this relief was short lived. Dean didn't know about Anthony or his buddy: The Axe.

"Dean, watch out for Anthony! He's possessed and he's got an axe!" Sam shouted hoarsely at his older brother.

Dean didn't like the sound of Sam's voice, but thankfully all those years of training kicked in as he narrowly missed being sliced by the axe. He could barely make out Anthony's figure, but it was enough to finally get some revenge on the little possessed punk. Forgetting about the axe, Dean tackled Anthony with a fierce brutality. The axe was thrown up into the air, connecting with the aged lighting system. The whack from the axe seemed to jolt the bulb into emitting a weak light. Dean could see the boy now; he had black eyes that seemed to taunt him. All the fury Dean had been holding in until this moment burst out, he wanted to hurt the specter just as he had hurt Sam. Dean raised his fist, poised to punch the damn spirit out of the boy.

"Dean! Don't hit him, the specter's the one you want not Anthony. Don't punish him for what it's done!" Sam rasped at furious the Dean.

Dean looked at his little brother; Sam looked like he'd gotten into a fight with the worst demon imaginable and yet…he was right. Dean put his hand down and began to say the Latin incantation for exorcism. The young boy's boy started to convulse violently, Dean pressed his knees down harder to keep the body still and began to say the incantation faster. The specter was losing the fight and with its final drop of energy, it turned its host's head to look at Sam.

"You'll always be a freak, nobody will love you once they know what you are," it rasped.

Anthony's body shuttered and the specter was ejected from the young boy's body. It would've gotten away had it not been for Lizzie, who stood in the doorway arms open. The spirit screamed as she grabbed onto it and combined both of their energies to neutralize them both. It was a sacrifice she was all too willing to make; she would not let this thing harm more gifted people. With that, they both dissolved into a dark mist, never to be seen again.

Dean groaned as he shuffled over to help his injured brother. The ropes fell away and Sam collapsed into his older brother's arms. Dean put one hand on Sam's back and the other to hold Sam's head.

"Just like the old days when we were kids, right Sammy?" Dean chuckled weakly.

"Yeah…excepted I wasn't brutally beaten up with a heavy object when I was young, Dean," Sam mumbled, squinting sarcastically at Dean.

"Well, there was that one time…," Dean started to say.

"Dean, shut up and call an Ambulance," Sam whispered, lightly shoving Dean's shoulder.


	10. Chapter 10

**Fall River Hospital**

Sam had three bruised ribs, a sprained wrist, and the large collection of bruises mixed with deep cuts. Dean's arrival would have been to late had it not been for Lizzie. Sighing, Sam walked gingerly down the hospital hallway towards his brother.

Dean turned and spotted Sam tenderly making his way down the crowded hospital hallway. The two brothers stood a few feet apart, Sam's eyes glittering with undying gratitude. Dean felt a lump moving up his throat, threatening to overcome him as he viewed the bandages all on Sam. He turned his head, hoping Sam wouldn't see tears brimming at his eyes. _'I let Sammy get hurt, what kind of brother am I? I should've known what was coming…I should have…'_ Dean thought, ashamed of himself.

Sam rested his bruised hand onto Dean's shoulder, understanding his brother's guilt. He noticed a small teardrop stream down his older brother's face, but ignored it as he steered Dean through the doorway.

"Damn, got something in my eye," Dean said, pretending to itch his eye.

Sam shook his head disbelievingly at how easily Dean could pull himself together. He always seemed to want to say something, but would stop for fear it would make him "wussy". Dean opened the Impala's door for Sam before heading over to the driver's side.

"Wait!" a female voice called.

Dean looked up and was greeted with the joyful face of Mrs. Mercer, closely followed by Anthony. Mrs. Mercer came over to Dean with tears in her eyes.

"I never got a chance to thank you. Anthony means the world to me and my husband," she said, hugging Dean.

Sam watched with a grin on his face, he wanted to whisper a remark to Dean through the crack of the window, but was interrupted with a light tug on his jacket sleeve. Sam turned, meeting the shy face of the real Anthony.

"I'm sorry, Sam. All those things I said…I'm so sorry," Anthony choked out.

"Hey that wasn't you saying that, it was the specter. I know you didn't mean any of what you said," Sam said gently to Anthony.

Mrs. Mercer had come around again and tugged Anthony back so Dean could pull out of the parking space. Dean slammed the door shut, started the ignition, and with a final wave drove out of the parking lot. He caught Sam's eye, Dean could tell his brother had some smart-ass remark in store.

"Go ahead Sam, say it," Dean said scowling.

"All I have to say is: Thank You, Dean," Sam said earnestly.

"Really? I mean, you're welcome. You know I'd always come for you, Sammy," Dean said, surprised at the non-smart ass remark.

"Oh, and you got bitch slapped by a teenager who was smaller than you," Sam laughed as Dean lightly shoved him.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh now, but the minute you get out of those bandages your ass is grass," Dean muttered ominously.

The black Impala roared down the lone strip of paved road, scenery stretching into the distance on both sides as they went. Sam grinned and looked out the window to see the 'Now Leaving Fall River' sign whiz by as a faded green blur. However, they had gone by so fast that they'd missed a faded shadow standing close to the sign.

"Thank…you…," the shadow whispered faintly before fading into nothing.


End file.
